Leading When it’s Tough: High-Stakes Leadership with Conflict, Pressure, and Constraints— June 2026

June 15, 22 and 29, 2026
Online

Event Description

There are many positive aspects of working in higher education where a sense of mission, passion for learning, and curiosity are strong. But in an environment shaped by financial pressure, organizational change, technological disruption, and growing stakeholder expectations, leadership becomes far more complex when conflict surfaces. Change is resisted, resources are constrained, results fall short, or stress begins to erode morale. Yet these difficult moments define leadership reputations more than routine success ever will.

This three-part Leadership Series is designed to help you be a leader who not only manages the day-to-day but also leads effectively in difficult situations. Many leaders know how to build a team, manage a project, or meet their group’s objectives, but far fewer are equipped to make sound decisions and lead effectively under pressure or when things get hard. In this series, you will explore practical frameworks for navigating conflict, overcoming resistance to change, addressing performance gaps, supporting teams under pressure, and re-energizing purpose when motivation declines. Through applied discussion and actionable tools, you will build the leadership approaches that prevent avoidable missteps, protect trust, and sustain performance and institutional momentum.

Learning Outcomes

• Diagnose and resolve sources of conflict or disagreement between individuals and teams.
• Address performance gaps and missed targets with accountability, clarity, and motivation.
• Build resilience and help teams perform under pressure.
• Mobilize strategies to support your team through resource constraints, including budget or staffing constraints.
• Motivate and inspire your team when they face burnout or waning motivation.
• Build team resilience to overcome resistance and gain buy-in when leading a change.